Immunoprecipitation (IP) in the era of Sepharose™ resin (GE Healthcare) and other beaded agarose media gave rise to some commonly held beliefs and caveats about the technique. Read about these below and see how immunoprecipitation using Invitrogen™ Dynabeads™ magnetic beads debunks these beliefs and provides a more reliable methodology for researchers doing IP.

Four myths about IP

Myths

Facts

Videos

Higher capacity is better for IP

Fact: High capacity is not always a good thing
When we say capacity is crucial, we are typically talking about the antigen-binding capacity. Because of the history of protein isolation and the move from large-scale protein purification to immunoprecipitation, people tend to believe that this capacity actually is crucial—when in fact capacity isn't always a good thing. The fact is that you want to balance the capacity, yield, specificity, and cost. Watch the video to learn why.

Background can't be avoided

Fact: Almost all background is removed with Dynabeads Magnetic Beads
It seems to be an established fact that background can't be avoided. Or is this a myth that now ought to be busted? Watch the video and learn how background can be avoided with Dynabeads magnetic beads.

Fact: Pre-clearing is not necessary with Dynabeads Magnetic Beads
Is it really necessary to pre-clear your sample prior to immunoprecipitation? Let's say you have made the assumption that some proteins will always bind nonspecifically to your solid phase. In order to remove these proteins, you need to pre-clear the sample, right? Watch the video and learn how you can avoid background without any pre-clearing.

Dynabeads® magnetic beads are expensive

Fact: You can save money using Dynabeads Magnetic BeadsSome people think that Dynabeads magnetic beads are expensive, while slurry is typically considered to be cheap. Yet the price per sample is comparable—or even lower—when you include the pre-clearing step. When you calculate the cost of doing your immunoprecipitation, you typically look at the cost of the solid phase relative to the potential capacity of a fixed volume of that solid phase. Watch the video to better understand how to calculate the actual cost of your immunoprecipitation experiments.

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For a limited time you can save 50% off the price of both a Dynabeads Immunoprecipitation kit and and a DynaMag™-2 magnet (terms and conditions apply), but remember to get your PROMO CODE before you place your order!